At this time of year, every year, my one true solace is that as the Mariners swoon down the stretch, my sorrow is seamlessly displaced by one of the best-run franchises in American sports. The Hawks sure know how to swing blockbuster trades, which makes them basically the only NFL team who does. Harvin, Graham, and now "Shelrich." It's like watching Theo Epstein run a football team, and I can't get enough. My thoughts on the move:
- Nathan, to your point about a 2nd being a big give: yeah, it sure is. However, this team will be winning a ton of games, and getting a very late 2nd round pick. Bobby and Jarran were mid-2nds, and Clark only dropped to the end of the round because of character concerns. Late 2nds look like Justin Britt (useful but uninspiring starters, which also describes Reed) as often as they turn into stars. The Hawks have a long history of shipping off picks for a guy who is getting paid more, but is the caliber of player you dream of drafting with the pick you just gave up. In Doc parlance, they're happy to pay 1.25 on the dollar to get back the best player in the deal. They do this ~once per year. Also, you know they'll just trade back with their 1st rounder, turn it into a mid-2nd, and get some other picks besides.
- Removing Kearse is addition by subtraction, f'sho. I'll miss him though. He's had some HUGE plays for us, in between all the mediocrity.
- Doc's right, we spend most of our time in nickel these days, which means 9/11 guys on the field are legit pro-bowl caliber stars (and three of those are all-pro future HOFs). The only recourse for opposing offenses will be to run and hide.
But the most important part of this deal is that scheme-wise, this is the one piece the Hawks have been missing for years. They've got the best safeties at their respective positions, the best linebacker tandem in the league, Sherm's side of the field is radioactive and dotted with tripwires and spike-pits, and Avril/Bennett/Clark rip around the edges like people who hate sandwich crusts. The only position where they've never had a star in the Carroll era is at DT, and it's a kind of big deal. I can't count how many times our DEs have missed a sack by inches because the quarterback stepped up in the pocket and dumped it off. We just haven't had anyone capable of pushing the interior of the pocket until now. It's led to the offense having one relatively safe location on the field, in a bubble behind the center, and that's why pocket passers like Brady, Rivers, Ryan, and Roethlisburger have been able to create a blueprint for competing with (see: NOT beating, but competing with) our historic defense.
I don't want to promise anything, but there is a chance that this final piece acts as a force amplifier that leads to another 2013, Team of Destiny march to the Superbowl. If QBs can't count on climbing the pocket anymore, the only valid gameplan against the Legion of Boom goes out the window. Shelrich may only get 4.5 sacks this year, but he may also add 5-7 sacks to our trio of edge rushers, and this could in turn add 5-7 interceptions to the secondary, as QBs feel the pressure and start making bad decisions. Have you noticed that no one goes deep on Sherm anymore unless they have a lineman bearing down on them? It's easier to make good decisions when you're not running for your life.
And all of this is in ADDITION to the very real chance that Russell Wilson is a top-5 quarterback, camouflaged by a season lost to injury right after he jumped the most recent plateau. His deep ball is back, and the o-line looks better than last year, and we have a stable of 4 starter quality running backs, and Jimmy Graham and Dougie Fresh are the real deal. Right up until this move I figured this would be the year the offense officially surpassed the defense. Now, I have no idea which unit is better. Either way, opposing coaches are going to be losing a lot of sleep trying to survive those units. Oh, and did I mention Ty Lockett is a top-3 return man, and the Hawks special teams coverage unit is always one of the best in the league?
Yeah, I'm ready for some football.